Practice Plan area manager Gary Nelson, reflects on the past couple of years and reminisces about the sense of community that prompted so many acts of kindness and compassion during the early stages of the pandemic lockdowns.
As we experience some of the most difficult economic and social challenges many of us will have known, he urges people to revive that spirit of community and reach out to help those in need.
In 2020 and 2021, when the pandemic was at its height, we saw acts of kindness and support in every town, in every city.
There were news stories of how neighbours were banding together to help each other and make sure the least able amongst us were looked after.
When the NHS appealed for volunteers, it was overwhelmed by people who wanted to be able to step up and do something good for their friends and neighbours. It was a heart-warming display of genuine community spirit.
Challenging circumstances
The same was true in the dental industry. Dental teams were adapting to the challenging circumstances and finding ways to care for their patients, their teams and their communities whilst the world hit pause on ‘normal’.
Then, as the restrictions loosened, that community spirit within dentistry strengthened as teams worked long hours in uncomfortable conditions to provide dental healthcare to those who needed it and who had been forced to wait for it.
It seemed to me that: kindness, support, community and going the extra mile got many people through those tough times.
Here we are in 2022 – and in the words of Oliver Hardy – ‘that’s another fine mess we’ve gotten ourselves into’.
Our fears earlier in the year that winter would be tough thanks to the ever-rising cost of living have now been made flesh. People will suffer and we will need our communities more than ever.
Hard to reach out
However, it seems to me that people are no longer reaching out to their communities. The last three years feel as if they’ve lasted a decade and we’re all tired. It is hard to reach out when you’re tired.
And I think this is why people are not keeping up with their communities. It is so hard to reach out to each other when you’re just worn out.
But communities come in all shapes and sizes. The dictionary definition of community is:
- A group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common
- The condition of sharing or having certain attitudes and interests in common.
So, your community doesn’t have to be about where you live. It can be about something you have in common.
I saw a perfect example of a community recently. I was out for my walk along the coastal path and stopped after this group had gone past and smiled.
It was 12 new dads all pushing prams. Obviously, they had all arranged to meet up and take their newborn babies for a walk. As they walked past, I couldn’t help but stop, look back and smile thinking, ‘You’ve formed your own community.’ They will help and support each other.
Make a difference
They’re probably all exhausted, probably all working long hours but now giving their wives and partners a break. But if they hadn’t formed their community, they would just have been alone. They probably wouldn’t have thought to support each other. But they were a community and they were walking and talking with coffee.
Sadly, this is what’s missing from the world. The financial crisis is hammering people as they can’t afford to go out. Whereas they might have met people in the pub, they can no longer afford to do that.
However, one community you can still be part of and make a difference to is your team. No matter how tired you are, that is a community to nurture.
As a dentist, the support team really are ‘the hands that feed you’ without whom, you would struggle to exist. They provide the care packages that have made your business profitable.
Cost of living
As the winter progresses, the mental health of many people is likely to plummet as some of the joy of life gets eroded by the rising costs of living. Kindness, support and a real spirit of community got us all through the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021.
I have a feeling that they are going to be critical to getting us through the remainder of this one and into 2023.
At Practice Plan we also recognise that the dental community needs support, which is why we have set up Youhub.
Similar to our Covid hub, it’s a comprehensive resource centre designed to give you a sense of calm, peace of mind and take positive action in the key areas affecting you the most right now: wellbeing, cost of living, business finances, recruitment and retention.
We hope you find it useful and, if you do, why not pass it on to someone else. Sometimes just knowing that someone has been thinking about you can be a great boost to morale and remind you you’re not alone.
So if you see something on Youhub that might be of use to someone in your community, send them the link! Or better still, tell them about it in person and make a connection.
For more useful information about how to navigate your way through the current economic climate visit Practice Plan’s Youhub.
